Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
by Lover of Narnia
Summary: Caspian and Susan are spending time together in a house in the woods, free from the pressing life of royalty. But when a voice is heard in the night, and a fire is started, will they live to see the next morning?


**Author's Notes: **Alright...this is an extremely depressing fic that I have been working on for awhile now. It's inspiration was the song _Slow Dancing in a Burning Room_. No, I don't particularly like this song, do to the use of foul language in it, but while listening to it set to a Caspian/Susan video, I was suddenly struck with the heart-wrenching idea to write this story. It's sad, and might bring tears to yours eyes, though that's not a guarantee because my writing might not be that great. Please excuse any grammar mistakes, I don't believe their should be too many, but it's not beta-read. (Insert normal disclaimer here. I DO NOT own Narnia or the characters.)

This is a hopelessly Suspian fic, with lots of fluff, suspense, and some heart-breaking moments at the very end. So, without further a-do, **Slow Dancing in a Burning Room**.

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><p>Night was closing in and sealing the last vestiges of light away, wiping the horizon clean of it's color, and overtaking it with an ominous blue and black, dotted with white stars that sparkled like diamonds. The breeze slowly subsided, surrendering to the heavy cooler air of twilight, and leaving the world in the stillness of peace and silence. The moon rose over the landscape, basking what little land it could in it's light shaped that of a crescent. The creatures of Narnia, having spent their hours of day, retreated into their dens and homes, cuddling in for 8 hours of rest.<p>

Upon a hill, swallowed almost completely by the shadows of the late hours, only lit by yellow dancing light from within, was a manor house. It's residents were not asleep, or joining the rest of their country in the act of relaxing. This was the one place the young couple, who had retreated to this forest dwelling, could find some tranquility and peace, and to escape the pressing life of royalty. They enjoyed the weekends they spent together, hidden within this red-thatched roof house, with flower vines climbing up the walls, and trees surrounding every side of them. They had a mountainous view from their bedroom window, and a gorgeous lookout from their sitting room balcony.

King Caspian stood, as he customarily did, on the edge of this balcony, gazing out upon his kingdom with glassed over eyes, and a free and open mind. The sharp Narnian air filled his lungs and burned them with the pleasurable reminder of the beauty of this world, and the over-flowing happiness that he was blessed to live in it, and even, rule it. Though guiding a whole country was a taxing duty, thankless at times, and even dangerous, he knew that he couldn't hide from it permanently, and he was graced to have these few days, alone, with his wife.

The paralyzed moment was set back into motion when he felt the soft press of his queens lips upon his back. His skin tingled and his dark eyes drifted to the very corners of his vision, trying to capture the first glimpse of her figure. Susan came into his sight, and he felt his heart begin to burn, as it always did when near her, with passion and fire, and an intense longing for her to be so much closer. He released his fingers from his palm, leaving open the space of his hand, waiting for hers to slip into it. And it did, slowly, he felt the soft touch of her skin brushing upon his, and his fingers gripped hers. He looked down upon her and drank in the merry sight of her smiling face; sumptuous lips and sparkling azure eyes, visible even in the dark stillness. The very stir of the mid-night breeze brought her scent to his nostrils, and he stared at her in that stricken way, as he always did, gazing back down with eye so dark, so deep, that displayed the feelings of his love pierced heart.

She came around to him, leaving her hand closed comfortable in his, and laid her head upon his chest; invited by the sound of his beating heart which engulfed her ear. It was such a steady sound, one that brought comfort and a strange relaxation to her, making her so contended. Susan loved the warmth of his skin against her cheek, and she momentarily lost herself in the feeling of his embrace, as his arm came up to hold her close to him, and tighten their press against one another. He bent down, bearing his face in her dark brown tresses, enjoying their silky, wispy, texture.

"You are beautiful." He whispered in her ear, his lips tickling the nerves in her skin. He sensed the smile upon her face at his words and the tingling she was feeling. He grinned, and kissed her neck, before bringing up his head to look full once again into her eyes.

Susan brought her fingers up to his cheek, and began to caress circles on his tanned skin, reveling in the soft purrs he made as she did so. There was something so natural about him, so very wild, free, and untamed, when they were alone in this place only for them. She felt her heart lift with joy, as he leaned into her hand, closing his eyes momentarily to concentrate on her touch. "My love…" she whispered, watching as his eyelids opened and she was once again trapped by his cinnamon warm eyes. As he gazed at her, puppy like innocence in his face mingled with the wilderness within him, and her heart leapt to her throat and she wished to never be parted from him.

He read the wish lingering upon her lips, and he bent down, slowly, feeling first her hot breath touching his face, then the pressure of his lips upon hers. Her hands curled around his neck and he nestled his arms around her, finding the place where they were locked, bodies as one, and minds as one. Just as he was urging her to deepen their kiss, there was a crack that broke the stillness in the night. They parted, somewhat reluctantly, both of their instincts setting in. They stood, breaths held, listening. At first, nothing but the rustle of the summer trees around them met their earnest ears, then, as though lifted by the air, a chuckle….rising to a louder tone then dying away.

Susan felt a bolt of ice race down her spine, and a feeling of danger, settle in her stomach, suddenly bringing upon her a heavy sensation, one that rendered her unable to move. Caspian, like wise, was flooded with emotions, his mind, hearing the laugh, whirling around in a terrified frenzy, bringing recollections from the corners of his mind, digging up buried memories, over-turning the painful and fearful stones of his boy-hood, flashing the image of a face before his eyes. His throat dried, and his arms fell limply from around Susan. _Impossible…_

"Touching…so very touching…" a voice said from below their balcony.

Caspian gasped and paled, staggering for a moment, his mind given sufficient prove of who it was. The courage within him fought with once forgotten and returning fears, and slowly began to win over them. He felt Susan's hands clutching his arms, her grip tight; her expression one of deep concern, her cold finger tips pricking his skin through the cotton of his garment. He looked to her for a moment, his mind filling with warmth and a level of reassurance and strength; he could see the wisdom in her sapphire eyes and it calmed him, little by little, until he straightened and gripped the balcony railing, gazing down into the inky dark shadows. He searched for a physical shape, a movement, but found none. It would seem they had been greeted by a ghost…

Then from out of the night, a spark, and orange dancing flame appeared, light spilling upon the features of several men below. One of them stood out from the rest, his hand gripping a torch, which had somehow had been lit using the candle set in the lower manor window, his glassy eyes peering up at them, satisfying their search for the being who had spoken. "You know, I was wrong." The voice once again spoke, this time with someone to connect it to. The accent, hard, cold, but somehow enthralling, struck Caspian, as though a dagger had somehow been plunged into him, and Susan once again held onto him, though he steadied himself against the railing.

"You will never have the makings of a Telmarine king." There was an ethereal cackle, and the flame waved around in dancing circles, being moved wildly by its owner. "Telmarines never ask! They take! So once again I shall take! I shall take something I have always wanted to" the torch stopped, and for a moment drew close to the man's face. "Your life!" the chiseled, tanned face flashed for a moment, then disappeared. The flame was thrust forward, and through the window of the manor.

Below, harmonized with a mad laugh, the crackling of the fire burning could be detected, as it began to eat away at the rugs and furniture in the lower rooms. Caspian pried himself away from the balcony, the choked word of 'uncle' coming from his lips as he ran to the door in their room; his hands closing around the knob and pulling. He was met with the sturdy opposition of the lock, and resorted to slamming his shoulder repeatedly into the wood in an desperate attempt to escape. The door, built strong to keep those out, had turned against him, and was now keeping them sealed in.

Susan followed him a few steps into the room, the full horror of their situation dawning upon her; daunting her steps. Her hands were held tight to her breast as she watched Caspian do all in his power to break their door down, locked, purposely, from the outside. "It's no use." She finally said, above his panting. "It's too strong." She swallowed, trying to wet her dry throat. "Perhaps we can find another way…" she said, trying to calm her voice.

Caspian turned to her, the look in his eyes wild, determined, angry, and yet resigned. He met her gaze, his brow dotted with sweat. He knew there was little time. He approached her, reaching out giving her hands a tight squeeze for reassurance, "Don't be afraid." He said, as he moved back toward the balcony, below he could see the fire beginning to consume the whole foundation of the manor. The flames were like ravenous creatures, eating, consuming the wood. He knew the balcony was much too high to jump from; if he did attempt the fall it would break him, and leave him to die.

He was about to turn away, when there was a twang, like that of several bow strings, and three arrows, fire licking at their tips flew up beyond him and stuck in their roof. He retreated back into the room once again, hearing the wooden roof begin to crack, and then there was a terrifying roar as the fire trailed along the shingles, crisp dry from the lack of any moisture. He knew the down stairs was mostly already consumed….he had taken too much time. What escape was there?

He whirled to Susan, who stared at him, expecting some answer, some hope. She too was rendered unable to think of by any means they could get out; she looked to him. He moved about, quickly, almost in frenzy, hurrying to a small side room, the anti-chamber, which connected to their bedroom. He searched it for anything….a rope, something to lower them down the not yet burning balcony. A gasp from Susan sent him rushing back out. She pointed at the fire that could be seen coming under the door now….it was burning through the thick wood, and Caspian now that whomever had locked them within, had set fire to the hall.

"There is only one way. And we must hurry…." He took her arm, gently, and pulled her toward their balcony. "Should we….risk the fall?"

Susan stared down into the blackness, where the figures could still be seen, shuffling around in the darkness, lighting the rest of their home on fire. "I don't know. If we do not die from the impact, what about those who are down there! Won't they just kill us!"

Her voice was high, and frightened, and he struggled with panic gripping his own heart. "Either that or! -  
>He was cut off by the hissing of the roof above them. Heat rolled toward them, and Susan cried out as the overhanging arbor began to collapse. The wood, burning, charred and crackling, came falling toward them and Caspian dived back into the room, his arms solid around Susan's shoulders.<p>

The wood then crashed down upon where they had been standing, instantly lighting the doors and frame. Caspian and Susan stood again, looking at the fire, eyes watering from the heat and slight smoke. Holding hands, they went to the center of the room, trapped between the fires now on both sides. The heat was intense, though they were several feet away from both fires, and they hid their faces in one another. Susan laid her head upon Caspian's shoulder, feeling the soft textures of his shirt, so inviting, and his skin below it. Her hands were pressed in the middle between their two bodies, laid against the muscles of his chest. She felt a sob begin to enclose her throat, and she was powerless to stop it from rising and spilling from her lips. The horrible thought of losing him, before her eyes, being taken away from him, painfully killed by a force uncontrolled by any of them, caused her to cry, her shoulders moving with the emotion.

He wrapped his arms around her, laying his mouth beside her ear and whispering a quite, comforting sound, his lips touching the edge of her ear, then moving to her cheek, where he lingered, the smell of her hair, untarnished by the smoke and choking stinking fumes filling the air, still was so strong. He felt her tears roll down and hit his face, wetting his lips. He pulled for a moment, staring in her eyes, his hands caressing her cheeks, rubbing tiny circles, wiping away any droplets that came down. "Ssssh…" he said, silencing her quite crying. "We are together…that's all that matters…that's all." He kissed her then, tasting once again her supple lips, and the sweetness that they were.

Susan felt the press of his lips, and closed her eyes, deepening the kiss, wanting to have him this way for the last time. For a moment though she thought she felt a drop of a tear of his own, but when they parted, his face was dry.

"One last time, my dearest, dance with me." Caspian said, taking her hand, putting his arm around her waist, feeling her hand going to his shoulder. They felt the flames closing in, the heat was bearing down upon them, Susan felt the sweat pouring down her ribs beneath her dress, but his request, so heart-wrenching, could not be denied. If they were to die….they would die together. And they would die within each other's arms, reliving the dance they had shared on their wedding night.

Caspian guided them in the simple steps of their ballad, slowly around the circle of the floor that was not burning, humming the tune with her, staring at her eyes. She lost herself in those cinnamon eyes of his, gazing at her, drawing her in, making her forgot about their death, coming so close, making her lose the thought of the fire. She felt there feat going with each other…the steps of their dance were flawless, perfect.

As they danced, Susan felt the hem of her skirt catch, and start to burn. The flames had closed them in, finally caught up to where they stood. They stopped moving, surrounded, trapped, locked, sealed to their fate. Susan felt like shrieking as she felt the heat upon her legs, but Caspian's arms about her somehow made her strong. She buried her face into him, biting her lip to the pain. Caspian clenched his jaw, feeling himself begin to weep, knowing she was in agony. He too felt the fire came to his legs, and light the garments he wore. He suppressed any sort of painful cry…. Feeling he had to be strong, for Susan, for them both.

The walls, the decorations and furniture were all consumed in licking flames. The room was only a blur of yellow, orange, and red. The heat melted all, ate anything flammable. It was like a slow moving executioner…chopping down a thousand innocents to reach its target.

The minutes lasted so long, they both wished it to be over…for it to end, mercifully, but it seemed to go on, and Susan sobbed and screamed, wild from the burns, desperate to escape it, all logical sensible thoughts pushed from her mind. She tried to pull away from Caspian's grip, but he clutched her, gritting his teeth, unwilling to give her up to the fire, knowing it wasn't his Susan trying to get free, but the agony driving her. He found it hard not to succumb to the flames…to the pull…to the death…he couldn't resist it and let out an anguished cry. "Stay!" he breathed to Susan, gasping, desperate. "Stay…please." He took a hurried breath, and one last time kissed her. Their lips were torn away as the fire took them, bringing them both to the floor…to their knees…to their deaths.

Before their eyes closed, and their bodies were turned to ashes, Caspian's lips formed three words. "I…love…you…"

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><p><strong>Ending Thoughts:<strong> What did you think? o_o I have to admit I'm desperate to hear your thoughts. _So please review_. Makes me day, and I'm quite anxious about this story.


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